Fast Food!

So we all know the scenario when we get home late from school or clubs, the kids are super hangry and they really want dinner, like NOW!!!!!!!!!

I want to tell you that this is where meal planning comes in handy as you can prep beforehand and anticipate these times when kids just need feeding!…BUT i’m not going to preach about meal planning….yet!…that’s another blog post!!!!!! haha! Watch this space!

I thought instead it might be of interest and useful to come up with some quick and speedy yet healthy meals which you can throw together in minutes! So here goes, a few ideas for those crazy rushed evenings when you just need to get dinner on the table!..

Now it’s always handy to have a well stocked freezer with some pasta sauce or homemade meals but freezer aside (again maybe i’ll do another post on that??) here are some other ideas for some pretty speedy dinners…some of these may seem like a bit of work but i promise you they can be cooked in no time at all!

All of which you can throw loads of veggies into like grated courgette, chopped spinach, peppers, mushrooms etc. whatever you have in the fridge basically…and they’re ready in no time at all.

Then there’s eggy bread, scrambled egg, dippy eggs…and the list goes on!…You can see why eggs are a staple in most households!

BUT what about other options??….other FAST FOODS!…

Don’t forget about things like:

Couscous,

Fish,

Gnocchi,

Noodles….all super quick!

Or by cheating a little bit don’t forget: Packet of puy lentils, packet rice or rice from the freezer!

FISH:

Fish takes no time at all to cook, it really is fast food. Pan fried or popped into the oven for 10 mins and it’s ready – serve with some packet rice and some cooked veg and you’ve got a healthy yet speedy meal or pop some pan fried fish into a taco or wrap…

Fish taco’s/wraps: Simply fry off some fish in a pan with a few spices and seasoning and then once cooked simply flake into some wraps or taco’s. This takes no time at all….add some lettuce, cucumber or carrot matchsticks and you’ve got yourself a pretty tasty and substantial meal! ..For added crunch try coating your fish in some breadcrumbs like these Fish Goujon Wraps

Fish Parcels: Something like these Asian Fish Parcels take no time at all…and then while this is cooking you can quickly make some super speedy COUSCOUS! Another fast food! Talking of couscous you could try this salmon parcel too..again fish and couscous which are both really quick to cook! Lemon Fish Parcels with cous cous

Or what about these Chicken Skewers with Chorizo Couscous but instead of using skewers if you’re really in a rush simply pan fry the chicken or try the couscous with pan fried fish instead?

Gnocchi takes 2 minutes to boil so get this going and then quickly stir fry some veg, add some spices, garlic etc add in the gnocchi fry for a couple of minutes and you’re good to go! Quick Veggie Gnocchi Stir Fry and of course there’s always gnocchi with pesto, or your fave tomato sauce??

Stir fry’s are also quick, quick, quick – the time consuming bit is the chopping up of the veggies but chop these up the night before!..and then when you walk through the door all you have to do is throw everything into a wok! Easy Prawn Stir Fry

You can serve with NOODLES which are really speedy or I do often keep Tilda rice pouches in my cupboard for those times where you just can’t wait to boil rice…or another top tip would be to keep cooked rice in your freezer! Just make sure when you’re cooking this through again it’s piping hot!

Egg fried rice is another quick one if you cheat a little! To make this a super quick meal use frozen veg and packet rice, add some spices and stir through an egg! If you have any leftover cooked chicken or ham etc you could throw that in too?

Pitta, wrap or English Muffin Pizza’s:

Quesadillas are super quick too – again you can grate added veg into these like courgette and carrot, add some cheese, pan fry and this can be ready in minutes.

Don’t forget about old faithfuls like Toasties, Ham and Cheese Croissants, Panini’s just be creative with your fillings!

PUFF PASTRY: Another speedy dinner is Puff Pastry Pizza’s. Get your kids to load them up and then simply pop in the oven. You could serve with some homemade garlic bread using any bread you have lying around in your bread bin!

Or if you’re using puff pastry what about pin wheels!? Again an easy way to get added veggies in…use pesto or tomato as a base add some grated veg, some cheese, roll and pop in the oven…

Pin Wheels

These halloumi and grated veg wraps went down really well with my kids:

Halloumi and Veg Wraps

Potato pizza’s are also pretty speedy. If you’re using sweet potato you could even pop the slices into a toaster a couple of times to cook and then simply load your toppings and then pop under the grill to melt the cheese on top! Easy and quick!

Potato pizza

Snacky plates can also be fun and it’s interactive which I love! Get the kids to help load up your muffin tin tray with all sorts from the fridge! Amazing what you can come up with doing a fridge raid! These pinwheel sandwiches are also a fab idea! Fill with ham and cream cheese, or smoked salmon and cream cheese?? Or peanut butter? Grill some halloumi add some veg and some fruit and you’ve got yourself a pretty balanced plate of food!

Hope there are some ideas here for you! What are you go to quick dins when you’re in a rush?? I’d love to hear!